What happened?

On October 17, 1989 at 5:04 PM an earthquake happened in Loma Prieta. All of Northern California felt it. The ground shook for 15 seconds and the quake measured 7.1. The third game of the World Series was going on at Candlestick Park. No one was hurt there, but everyone had to leave. Lots of people in the United States were watching the World Series and all they saw was someone yell, "Earthquake" then the picture went out.

A 50 foot piece of the Bay Bridge collapsed. Here is a picture of a car that got stuck. A piece of freeway in the East Bay collapsed. It was called the Cypress Structure. 62 people died in the earthquake, 42 of them died in the Cypress freeway. Fires started, especially in the San Francisco Marina District. The houses are fancy there, but they are built on landfill. Landfill is mostly sand. When a big earthquake hits, landfill becomes like water, then the building can't stand up anymore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

http://www.exploratorium.edu/faultline/loma_prieta/loma2.html
http://www.exploratorium.edu/faultline/loma_prieta/loma5.html
http://www.exploratorium.edu/faultline/loma_prieta/index.html

Links To more pictures of Loma Prieta:

www.ce.udel.edu/faculty/ chajes/prieta.html